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Apple kills the Cube

It's no longer hip to be square...

By Aled Herbert

Published: 4 July 2001 08:25 BST

Apple has pulled the plug on its ill-fated and much-criticised G4 Cube computer after the machine failed to meet the company's sales estimates.

The news follows months of speculation about the future of the Cube, which despite receiving acclaim for its innovative design, failed to fit into Apple's product strategy.

Apple admitted that demand for the Cube had been three times lower than it predicted, despite a series of price cuts.

The company experienced a return to profitability last quarter, thanks largely to the success of its Titanium G4 PowerBook and redesigned consumer laptop, the iBook.

Industry analysts and Apple enthusiasts are expecting a radical redesign of the iMac, the company's flagship, but flagging, consumer desktop machine, at the Macworld Expo on 17-20 July.

The failure of the Cube is a kick in the teeth for Apple CEO Steve Jobs who's NeXT cube computer also failed to woo consumers and industry analysts in 1989.

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